Holding Up The Universe

Libby’s favorite novel, We Have Always Lived in the Castle,is a 1962 mystery novel that tells the story of Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood, her sister Constance, and her uncle, Julian. The family lives together on an expansive estate haunted by the mysterious deaths of the rest of the Blackwood family. Mary Katherine is the only one who occasionally goes into the village, where she suffers hostility from the townsfolk, who despise the Blackwood family. In the end, Mary Katherine confesses to poisoning the rest of the Blackwoods years ago, and she and Constance resolve to remain in their home in isolation from the community. Libby often compares herself to Mary Katherine because both feel ostracized by their communities—Mary Katherine for her Blackwood heritage and Libby for her weight—but also because both know what it is like to lock themselves away. Thus, Jackson’s novel serves as a motif thathelps emphasize the novel’s theme of seeing. Just like Mary Katherine, who decides that she does not want to be seen by the villagers at all, Libby questions whether and how she wants to be seen by her peers at high school. Niven’s use of We Have Always Lived in the Castle also serves as a critique of the dangers of “staying at home.